Goch: Remembering the Holocaust falls on future generations

How privileged we are to live in a community that has one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors?

The sad reality is that the number of eyewitnesses to the darkest period in our history is dwindling. In a few years, it will be left up to us and future generations to keep their stories alive and to ensure that the six million victims of Hitler's evil Final Solution did not die in vain.

Feedback I received from my recent column about "The Diary of Anne Frank" prompted me to dive a bit deeper into the subject of Holocaust education, which often begins with children reading this real-life account by one of their peers.

The task falls on these youngsters to learn about the Shoah, absorb what it means for us, and go forth to ensure the world never forgets.

Programs have been created to develop relationships between survivors and students with the intention of passing on stories from one generation to another. One such initiative is Student Awareness Day. Created by the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center in Dania Beach, school-aged children of all backgrounds are educated about the dangers of prejudice, hatred and threats against our democratic values through round-table conversations.

Some innovative students are developing their own plans of action as well. Dara Weinstein, 17, a rising senior at Spanish River High School, has written her own Holocaust curriculum for fellow students.

She says it's important for people of all ages and faiths to learn about the Holocaust. "It was not just Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. All kinds of people were killed. People have to know about this period in history when so many innocents of so many backgrounds were murdered for no reason."

As time passes, I'm confident that our young people will keep the lessons of the Holocaust alive.